Earning OCOP stars for products in eastern Lam Dong
Producers of distinctive and traditional products in eastern Lam Dong have been improving product quality, packaging, and production capacity to maintain and upgrade their OCOP star ratings, contributing to the development of advanced new-style rural areas in their respective localities.
Fragrant rice varieties grown in the lower reaches of the Long Song River in Lien Huong Commune have long been used as clean ingredients to make traditional foods such as rice vermicelli, pho noodles and glass noodles. These products have become well known among local consumers and have gradually reached markets outside the province and overseas markets, including Europe, the United States and Australia.
Truong Thi Hong Ha, a producer of several traditional products, said: “Our rice vermicelli, pho noodles and glass noodles are mainly handmade from locally sourced clean rice, with no additives or preservatives, helping ensure consumer health. The vermicelli can be used in many everyday family dishes as well as during Vietnamese holidays and Tet. That is why customers near and far enjoy the products.”
The dried rice vermicelli, available in a variety of eye-catching colors, is convenient for both home and restaurant cooking. It can be used in dishes such as stir-fried vermicelli with seafood, light noodle soups and spicy, sweet-and-sour mixed vermicelli, all offering appealing flavors.
In recent years, Ha's business has mobilized resources to expand its production facility, hire more workers and meet growing demand in domestic and overseas markets.
“As we expand production, we are able to offer cleaner, higher-quality traditional products while reaching more markets. We are now working with the Lien Huong Commune People's Committee to apply for a four-star OCOP rating for Khanh Ha dried rice vermicelli,” Truong Thi Hong Ha said.
Other producers of traditional products are also seeking higher OCOP ratings by improving quality and packaging to meet increasingly demanding market requirements.
Do Thi Minh Thi, owner of the three-star OCOP-rated Tam Y fish sauce brand in Tan Hai Commune, said: “Our facility sells more than 2,000 liters a year. We are now working with the Tan Hai Commune People's Committee to register an additional Tam Y fish sauce product for a four-star OCOP rating, with higher protein content to meet growing demand in urban areas of the Southeast.”
Tran Duc Tuan, Director of Sen Nui Cooperative in Tra Tan Commune, said Sen Nui salted roasted cashews were recognized several years ago as a three-star OCOP product and are now sold in many markets, particularly in northern Vietnam, through agents and companies working with the cooperative on distribution.
The cooperative aims to increase output of its certified OCOP products by upgrading production technology, optimizing processes and investing in modern production lines. It is also proposing that Sen Nui salted roasted cashews be upgraded to a four-star OCOP rating.
Nguyen Thi Thanh Nhan, owner of Thanh Nhan Bird's Nest in Tanh Linh Commune, said its natural bird's nest products are handmade under clean production conditions and have earned a three-star OCOP rating. They are sold widely in areas north and south of the La Nga River. The business is expanding its workshop and investing in processing equipment in an effort to upgrade Thanh Nhan Bird's Nest to a four-star OCOP product and expand sales both inside and outside the province.
Most OCOP products are made from locally sourced clean ingredients and processed by hand, creating distinctive regional specialties while maintaining their recognized star ratings. Producers continue to improve quality, packaging and production scale while seeking higher OCOP ratings to meet growing demand from domestic and international customers.
These efforts help make better use of local resources, create distinctive products, generate jobs and contribute to the development of advanced new-style rural areas in eastern Lam Dong.